The 5 best things our food writers ate this week

On a peak-autumn midweek jaunt to lovely Northfield, I started my day at Bread People, the naturally leavened sourdough bakery known for its freshly milled local grains.

I’d already made it through a cardamom knot, sourdough s’more cookie and powerfully pungent ginger molasses cookie — and lined up a warm sourdough loaf to go — when I nearly walked out too soon. The bakers had just come out with trays of still-scorching stuffed challah buns ($7.50).

While Bread People offers braided challah loaves on Fridays, this mini challah surprise held a molten center of cheese, spinach and a thick slice of soft potato. Yes, that’s potato on bread, and it works. The move is to tear off hunks of that plush bun and dunk straight into the molten middle, just like a bread bowl. The other move? Don’t leave this bakery too early; there might be one more thing coming out of the oven. (Sharyn Jackson)

400 5th St. W., Northfield, breadpeoplebakery.com

After hearing the buzz surrounding Bali Asian Cuisine, we checked out the Indonesian and Pan-Asian restaurant in Duluth’s Lincoln Park. The space — with slatted ceilings, recycled church pews and wood accents — is warm and inviting, and a full house made it feel fun and energetic.

Balinese stir-fries and braises share space with ramen and poke bowls, but the specialty rolls were favorites. Beyond excellent sushi-grade fish, the cooked creations were just as bright. That includes the Northlander Roll ($22). The kitchen takes light, flaky walleye and coats it in tempura batter, then fries it to a delicate, golden crisp before wrapping it in sushi rice. The roll is topped with shrimp and avocado, serrano and cilantro for bright, fiery and herbal notes before getting drizzled with a sweet unagi sauce.

A delightful fusion dish that pays tribute to northern Minnesota. (Nancy Ngo)

Our family’s Sunday morning tradition is that the kids and I stay cozy, while my husband fetches us sweet treats. This week he went off script at Rose Street Patisserie and brought me an unexpected pumpkin muffin ($4). Up until now, I’d thought I was the rare mom who didn’t partake in PSL (pumpkin spice latte) season.

He hastily explained that he’d overheard someone marveling that they’d never tasted a pumpkin muffin this good. “You’re a professional, you need to know,” he reasoned.

How good could it be? Life-changing. The crystal sugar topping crackles at first bite, but the interior is unadulterated gourd bliss. Roasted sweetness from something that actually ripened under the sun in a garden. Plush and rich, but not heavy, warmly spiced, but only gently to enhance the star ingredient. Chef/owner John Kraus refuses to share the secrets of his recipe, only that happy pumpkins make good muffins. (Joy Summers)

171 Snelling Av. N., St. Paul; Patisserie 46, 4552 Grand Av. S., Mpls., patisserie46.com

There’s a reason why La Mesa is a beloved Bryn Mawr neighborhood eatery. The menu of Ecuadorian and Latin-inspired fare ranges from casual to more composed entrees. And so much of it comes out of that wood-fired oven.

If you want to splurge a bit, we were also smitten with the Hornado, the classic Ecuadorian slow-cooked pork dish ($26, includes sides), sizable and wonderfully seasoned with hints of garlic, cumin and annatto, and cooked to juicy tenderness. (N.N.)

230 Cedar Lake Rd. S., Mpls., lamesampls.com

There’s nothing like a grocery shop reward of fresh, hot feasting in the car afterward. Mo’s Tropical Fruit in St. Paul is a gem for great produce: cherimoya, passion fruit, lychee, dates and all kinds of bananas neatly stocked (and at significantly lower prices than the big grocery chain stores.)

After loading up on flavors that take me to a warmer climate, I stopped by the small restaurant inside, following my nose toward porky goodness.

The hot bar stocked fried rice, salt and pepper shrimp, Hmong sausage and more – but a slab of crispy belly ($15 with rice or $12 per pound) called to me. Perfectly salted, each bite alternates between the marvelously crisp exterior to the luscious meat and rendered fat inside. Served sliced and tucked under a generous amount of rice, it’s best eaten immediately in the parking lot – dipping sticky rice and belly into the salty, spicy, herbaceous hot sauce. One container filled up three of us and I still have leftovers. Now, that’s good shopping. (J.S.)